


Flashlight

by Darkshines1984



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 23:44:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14436744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkshines1984/pseuds/Darkshines1984
Summary: Prompt from @ hysth on tumblr – ‘Just anything hurt/comfort.’Charity has a nightmare – Vanessa tries to sooth her.(Warning – starts with a pretty uncomfortable sexual assault flashback)





	Flashlight

 

_Strong hands clawed at her as she tried to pull away. She willed her limbs to work – fight harder – somehow untangle themselves from the painful hold. They felt heavy – almost paralysed – rigid with fear. Bile was rising to her throat and she felt completely nauseous as the realisation of what was happening sunk in. Still she tried to turn and wriggle away – only to receive a sharp slap across the left side of her face. It stung but worse than that – it made everything suddenly feel hazy. It was terrifying – to be in a daze but also know exactly what was going on. She’d been so stupid – thought that because he was a police man that he was good._

_One hand wrapped around her neck – squeezing at her throat if she tried to struggle and easing if she stopped. As much as she wanted to fight the feeling of being choked was unbearable – survival instinct was kicking in and her body went limp. If she could just stay still and let it happen then perhaps everything would be okay – he wouldn’t choke the life out of her. His spare hand went to her mini skirt and dragged it up – nails scraping painfully against her thigh. He was breathing in her ear – ragged and excited – it only made her feel more ill and disgusted especially when he groaned her name._

_“Charity”_

_She wanted to scream but no sound would come out. Everything was paralysed with fear except her tears – they ran freely._

_But then the voice was no longer that of a man but a familiar woman – calling to her – drawing her away from the horrors of her past._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Vanessa had been awoken by her girlfriend thrashing about next to her in the bed. It had taken her a few seconds to realise what was happening because it was early in the morning and she had been disturbed from a deep sleep. The sleepy daze had lifted immediately though when she heard Charity plead for someone to stop and she realised the words were choked with tears. It had made her heart leap into her throat when she realised what her girlfriend must be dreaming about.

Vanessa wanted to shake her awake immediately, but she knew her actions may translate into the other woman’s dream and make her thrash more or lash out. She sat up, so she was next to her girlfriend but not quite touching her.

 “Charity” Vanessa coaxed.

When that didn’t awaken her girlfriend, she said her name a little louder. Finally, Charity stopped thrashing about and jolted upright – only just missing smacking Vanessa in the face in the process. She could hear Charity’s erratic breathing as she cried – just able to make out the way her body racked with each and every sob.

“Hey – hey it’s okay sweetheart” Vanessa cooed - “It’s just a bad dream.”

She hadn’t reached for the taller blonde immediately, frightened of startling her – but she was desperate to hold her girlfriend and try to chase the dream away. So, she was relieved when Charity reacted to her words by throwing herself into Vanessa’s arms – climbing into Vanessa lap and burying her head in the crook of the smaller woman’s neck.

Charity’s hands wrapped around her and grasped at the material of Vanessa’s yellow and white pyjama’s. The taller blonde’s body still shuddered and shook as she cried – hot tears running down Vanessa’s neck and soaking the collar and shoulder of her top. Vanessa tried to sooth her girlfriend by softly rubbing her back with one hand and stroking her long blonde locks with the other. It always seemed to relax Charity when she ran her fingers through her hair.

“Ness” the taller woman sobbed.

“Shhhh I’ve got you” Vanessa tried to assure her girlfriend.

It had been a shock when Charity had broken down in front of her the first time. The other woman could be so hard at times and kept so much of herself hidden. It had meant a lot to be the person that Charity had cried in front of and confided in. Now in the dead of night it was happening again, but this time Vanessa swore to herself that she would do better. She couldn’t be a hothead this time – she just had to be exactly what Charity needed. She needed to be the person who tethered Charity to the present and not the past.

“It’s just me and you – in your room in the Woolpack” Vanessa said softly.

She angled her head as much as possible with Charity clinging to her and placed a gentle kiss against the other woman’s temple. She let her lips linger there – she could feel Charity’s pulse racing under her skin. Vanessa feared her girlfriend was close to having a panic attack.

“Nobody else – just us” she continued to assure the taller woman.

Charity nodded her head against Vanessa neck – her sobs seeming to ease so they were less violent. Vanessa continued to just hold her – still soothingly rubbing her back in a circular motion. Her girlfriend cried into her shoulder for minutes before it started to subside. The tension in Charity’s body was also beginning to ease – the grip on Vanessa’s top loosened and she seemed to sink into the smaller woman’s body so that Vanessa was holding up most of her weight.

“I’m sorry” Charity mumbled into her neck. The taller woman’s voice was hoarse after all her tears.

“You have nothing to be sorry for” Vanessa replied instantly.

She never wanted the other woman to feel guilty for showing her emotions. It angered her that others had made Charity feel weak for doing so – that others had thrown her past back in her face. More that that, she couldn’t understand how they didn’t see how strong Charity was for ploughing on through life with all that hurt and anger pent up inside her. Vanessa had truly meant it when she had said she found her girlfriend amazing. She only wished Charity could see it too.

The other woman pulled back a bit, supporting some of her own weight as she straightened up. The grip on Vanessa’s pyjamas released and was replaced by the flat of the other woman’s hands against her back. Vanessa slid the hand that had been caressing Charity’s hair up so that she cupped the taller blonde’s face. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark of the room in the time they had been awake – enough to see Charity’s features pretty clearly. She could see the tear tracks on her girlfriend’s cheeks and she brushed the pad of her thumb across them. Charity smiled slightly – a sad smile – but a smile none the less.

“Do you want me to make us a brew?” Vanessa offered.

She could tell by the way Charity apologised that her mouth was dry from all the tears – thought a cup of tea might ease that. She suspected they wouldn’t be going back to sleep for a while either, so it might appeal to Charity to get up, put a dressing gown on and sit downstairs for a while. That it might distance her a little more from the dream. Instead Charity shook her head vigorously at the idea.

“No don’t leave me” the other woman pleaded.

Any response Vanessa may have formulated died in her throat at the desperate way in which Charity had begged her to stay. She hadn’t intended on going anywhere without her but the fact that Charity wanted to keep her close and wasn’t pushing away made Vanessa’s heart race a little faster.  

“Just keep holding me” Charity instructed.

Vanessa was more than willing to keep doing that. She was content to hold on and never let go – to be Charity’s anchor. They couldn’t stay sat up forever though – not when Vanessa’s legs were going dead with her girlfriend’s weight slumped directly on them. So, she gently manoeuvred them, so they were lying down – Vanessa flat on her back with Charity lying on top of her – head lying against Vanessa chest. She interlinked their hands with her right hand, whilst her left drew comforting patterns against the thin t-shirt material covering her girlfriend’s back.

Charity sighed – releasing a deep breath that Vanessa hadn’t realised she had been holding. The taller woman seemed to sink into the contact again. Vanessa placed a loving kiss on the crown of her head. They lay there in silence – Vanessa tracing her name against Charity’s back – the taller woman’s breathing gradually evening out to match Vanessa’s own steadier pattern.

The nightmare and subsequent breakdown had taken a lot out of her girlfriend she realised. Charity’s energy was totally spent, and she was slowly drifting back off to sleep. Vanessa hoped it wasn’t just exhaustion but the fact her girlfriend found some safety in her arms. She thought she’d find it impossible to go back to sleep too but as Charity’s light snores started to vibrate against her chest, Vanessa found her own eyes drooping – until sleep claimed her too. This time it was unbroken until the morning.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 5 done. Title refers to the Jessie J song 'Flashlight'. Hope the first bit wasn't too uncomfortable for anyone, I apologise if it was.


End file.
